I went to a wedding overseas recently (details deliberately concealed). Everything was great. The bride was awesome. The groom is a great friend of mine. The wedding was dope. All the pictures looked great.

There were the right number of people. Everyone wore the right clothes and said the right things. My friend, the groom, was an awesome guy who was a great friend to me and had tons of other friends. Very successful and social.

It wasn’t till the reception that I noticed anything amiss. As I went around the crowd, as I am wont to do, we did the usual chitter chatter. Asking how everyone met, where and so on.

The first person I met worked with the groom. For 6 months. The next knew him from a business networking group. For 8 months. And on it went.

Everyone in attendance had only known him for a short period of time. And this is a guy who is a poster child for having friends and being social. But we were in a big city in Asia and his friends were mostly expats. And expats move. I was his longest friend at 15 years. By far.

And ‘by far’ means about 15 times as long.

So even though he had a million zillion great friends in the world at large, his wedding was packed with people who had only recently had the pleasure of knowing him. Through no fault of his own, his wedding was packed with people he didn’t know that well.

He isn’t the kind of guy that people make up excuses not to come. He had a million friends who would have wanted to attend but simply weren’t in the country. Or even that region of the world.

And it made me sad.

Sad as I thought of all the great folk I’ve known living in Asia since the 80’s: Who just don’t happen to live where I live now. And all the fantastic memories we shared. Girls I knew. Guys I hung out with. Friends who did seriously crazy stuff with me and lived to tell the story. (not exaggerated lol)

I determined not to follow in my good friends footsteps.

I want a social media wedding (If I do decide to make the perilous choice) and I definitely want a social media funeral. (If Elon Musk doesn’t invent a time machine)

Showing all my hypocrisy and pride. The good and the bad. Everything. If the real stories are told, it will be fun.

If anyone wants to work on a Social Media Funeral startup idea to bring this idea to life, let me know. (I just checked and I’m not the first one to think of this. But am still interested in discussing with friends)

Son is the real Warren Buffet but global. Able to add value in both first and third world and profit (Alibaba) from China and next India. (who else does that? lol)

Nadella is a Transformer Extraordinaire. Turning around a massive giant like former business hero Jack Welch and GE but without the accolades (why is that you need to ask yourself?

Muskis like the Jesus of Business and will sacrifice his legacy for what he believes in (replacing dirty fuels with clean replacements and fighting legacy investment in drilling, refining, filling stations, auto engineering, the entire Middle East, American, Chinese and European oil industry and the laws of physics-lethargy of change ‘an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. The outside force is him and whoever he can co-opt)

Jeff Bezos is a strategic leader who is so capable that he, almost singlehandedly, is keeping the US ahead of China. His vision and leadership established the US as the leader in ecommerce..but just barely. Tencent and Alibaba are right behind and whoever wins, wins very big indeed. In fact, without the incredible innovation that Tencent and Alibaba bring, US corporations would be nowhere as competitive as they are. So much thanks to all in this important race

Pony Ma is the new Zuckerberg. A master at giving people what they want. Wise beyond his years and focused on the best user experience possible and avoiding the very enticing traps of ad revenue. A man with a real vision that will make this one of the top 3 corporations in the world in short time.

Japan chose relationships over information. When Japan’s consumer electronics business was confronted with the combination of the internet and the iPhone, Japan buckled. The leaders in Japan saw that essentially the entire electronics district of Akihabara was being sucked into a single device, the iPhone (and not Docomo’s then dominant clamshells) they retrenched.

I believe they couldn’t really grasp the iPhone. It was too ominous for Japan’s industrial might. Japan had built a large part of it’s consumer business on gadgets that made life easier and more fun. People flocked to Akihabara to see the latest device.

In the 80’s and 90’s the world collectively marveled at how far ahead Japan was. Endless blogs, documentaries described how Japan was a nation of the future. Even as that lead was not only eroding but collapsing.

How could this happen? What mistakes did Japan make? How could it have been different?

To answer that question, lets go back in time to the late 80’s and Japan’s great property and stock bubble. If you weren’t aware, in 1989, the Emperor’s Palace in downtown Tokyo was worth more than the entire state of California. Let that sink in. The Emperor house and grounds, which I often jogged around several times an evening, were worth more than Hollywood, Silicon Valley, San Fransisco, Los Angeles, Orange County and the entire state. (which is larger than Japan in size) A house was worth more than all that.

And NEC was the world’s largest silicon manufacturer making Japan ground zero for the worlds electronics industry. When Japan lost that lead, the inevitable demise of the entire consumer electronics industry began.

It wasn’t just NEC, it was the whole of Japan’s industrial might. Everything from Japan’s great automakers to electronics to silicon to mechanical robot manufacturers were leading the field and cashed up.

So Japan had the funds. And the lead. Side note, look at pictures of any major downtown business district with signage, like New York’s Times Square. Japanese giants neon signs dominated then. But look at them now? Not a one. What happened? How could this happen?

Japan’s Bad Bets
Hardware Over Software
The best analogy I can think of is robotics. In the 80’s Japan dominated industrial and consumer robotics. Everything from Sony’s Aibo robot dog to Asimo Honda’s robot man who could dance, climb stairs and entertain the crowd over at Honda’s main showroom. (still worth checking out if you get to Tokyo)

Japan chose mechanical robots and the world chose software. The problem was that mechanical robots are inherently more difficult to produce than digital ones. And that software and information combine to solve many problems that mechanical robots used to solve (3-d printing over factory production, for example)

Mechanical robots are entirely dependent on information to be relevant. AI + robots are the best example of future robotics that are rapidly transforming everything we know about modern life essentially.

It’s a bit of a simplification but helpful to think of robots as dumb and AI as smart. What happens when smart meets dumb? Dumb works for smart. Smart can hire or outsource dumb to do it’s dirty work. And that’s what happened.

AI got all the cash and it invested into robots. So we’re seeing some damn smart robot’s come out of the US. The best known example being Boston Dynamics dog: Which I believe Google recently sold not because it wasn’t a good investment but because it didn’t want to be known in popular opinion as The Evil Terminator. Essentially a PR move because Google is dominating in so many other fields they didn’t want a super smart robot that is rapidly becoming a US military tool on their books. So they washed their hands of it.

I, for one, wish they kept it. I think Google could have done cooler things with it. But, just like I didn’t like mothballing modern nuclear technology and the halting of new nuke plants, which I also think is awesome, public opinion wins out. As a side note, as pro-solar and electric as I am, and you’ll be hard pressed to find a bigger Elon Musk Tesla fan, I think modern nuke technology is fricking awesome and as true tragedy that it’s not being developed (due to Russian 1970-80’s incompetence) and Japan’s poor decision to continue operating an early 1970’s design in an area that had tsunami’s since the beginning of time.

And that it all could have been prevented if the Japanese government had simply accept the US’s Navy’s offer to supply electricity to the backup generators from an aircraft carrier, which it was designed and prepared to do. In my mind Japan’s nuclear meltdown is due to those three things.

Poor choice of locations (tsunami area) , poor decision not to upgrade faulty 1970’s GE technology (should have been upgraded or mothballed) and most importantly, the horrendous decision by the Japanese government’s decision to ‘handle it themselves” and turn away the offer of electricity from a US ship: which had plenty of time to get there, set up, get the giant cord over to the cooling system and connect it. But it was turned away. And no one is talking about it.

If a fire starts in my house. And my neighbor sees it and offers his fire extinguisher and I refuse. And subsequently my house goes down in flames, who is to blame? The fire? The stove? I had an easy way to handle the situation but was too proud to accept it. So who is to blame?

Anyway, I’ve gotten off topic, Japan’s essentially dumb robots are now a commodity. Companies with AI, big data, algorithms can easily get a robot to do the physical part. The value is in the software.

And Japan missed the software revolution. Completely. Oh and the internet. I know it’s hard to fathom but it’s true. Japan missed both. And continues to miss them.

Why could be due to heirarchical decision making in a time of rapid technological progress. It’s still common for Japan’s executives to not send their own email. The secretary does that. And she, yes it’s a she in Japan, prints them all out for him (yes it’s a him) and has them ready on his desk in the morning.

This state of corporate affairs is what guided the poor decision of the past and continues to this day. I am a huge Japan fan and hope that articles like this can pull Japan out of it’s doldrums before it’s too late. And the Japanese are all working for China. But I’m not hopeful.

Youtube doesn’t judge you: Not a Nanny State

YouTube doesn’t take upon itself to decide what you will like and when. Like traditional media. They think they know what you want to watch at 6pm. 7am and so on. YouTube leaves it up to you. You want to watch a Korean girl pour ketchup all over herself while saying, “more ketchup!”? You got it! Meet Showry! 🙂

YouTube is the First True Global Media: It works anywhere

Global media? Surely CNN right? Or Yahoo right?

Entertainment Blue Screen of Death

Wrong! This is the message I just got when I clicked on a Yahoo story about two twins separated at birth. It feels as welcoming at Microsofts “Blue Screen of Death” in the 90’s. To be honest, this message really pisses me off for some reason. I can’t put a finger on it but it’s less fun than it looks. While we’re at it, why in the hell can’t I see this (while I’m here) living in Asia? Is this a state secret? Patented technology? The NSA? I need to show my drivers license? wtf

Much like any stupid company that doesn’t think about their users, media companies have always limited content to specific countries due to licensing agreements. In fact, they love licensing agreements! Why? Because you have to pay for licensing!! They get a paycheck for screwing you over.

If you don’t travel much, you might not be aware of how pervasive and frustrating this is. Living outside the US since the 80’s, I’m well aware. Simply watching an NBA game is practically impossible. Luckily, I can see the recap on….you guessed it. Youtube. Simply search “Warriors Full Game Highlights” 30 minutes after a game ends, avoid the sports news and enjoy what is essentially the best part of the game, all the baskets and killer defensive plays, in 9 minutes! As Charlie Sheen would say…WINNING!

I know you’re going to say, oh but that’s how they make money! Mo-ney! baby. CaChing! But guess how Hollywood used to make money? Video rental per movie Now they do steaming with monthly and individual rentals online. They adapted. What a concept!

The very astute among you will say, “you can pay for an annual NBA subscription, dummy! Cheapskate!” Yes, I could. But then after that game finishes, I might want to catch the end of a Dodger game but… oh that’s another subscription! More bills. More signing up. More passwords! Just what I wanted for Christmas!

And to be fair Major League Baseball and Football do it much better than most. Most good content simply isn’t available at any price outside of the US. And the subscription model doesn’t sit well with many sports fans used to simply turning on the TV and laboring through the commercials. It’s a totally different business model. So blame the victim all you like but anyone who has had a business knows that these things matter. One tiny change to a business model can lead to ruin. And sports is something you want to think about or plan for. Spur of the moment. Have a few minutes to spare? Turn on the game.

I think most companies assume they are much more important than they really are. That their fans are much more loyal than they are. In reality, most just want entertainment on demand. No hassle. Willing to put up with commercials but not credit card bills. Hardcore sports fans and gamblers aside, that’s how most people are. Me included. Even if I imagine myself to be pretty loyal, in reality, I’m not.

I feel loyal. I feel emotional. I try to guide the basketball in using mental telepathy. And sometimes it works. lol No really I get VERY into basketball games but in the end, it’s just a very small part of my life. And if it’s not there, I don’t miss it all that much. Like a tasty burrito though, once I take a bite, I have to finish that sucker. But my loyalty is limited and, in 28 years abroad, I’ve only paid for MLB subscription once. And, strangely enough, that was the year I hardly bothered.

Suggested Videos Changed my Life

Maybe a slight exaggeration but I usually hate companies suggesting things to me. “Do you want fries with that?” NO. I never want fries with that. Ever. I never want a matching belt, shoes or pillow case with that either. Why? Because I already knew about those options. If I wanted them, I’d order them. In contrast, suggested videos give me something I didn’t know about but very likely might want. Something like a dating app that knows my type and says, “you might be interested in her”. Very likely this app would be a staple.

So I love suggested vids. Let me count the ways. lol Ok, I love suggested videos because they make me look smart. So when I find some cool funky Motown artist and they recommend something cool like
After seeing that vid, I proudly post on Facebook like I’m some kind of connoisseur of such music. In reality, I’m a scatterbrained music listener constantly looking for whatever will give me that pump that I’m looking for. That jolt of energy and a smile. If I get that, I’m happy.

The problem is, it’s not easy for me to get it. And the high quality suggested videos were just the ticket to give me something that I was in the mood for; in the exact moment. Not 20 minutes later when I’m watching some think tank discussion on China’s new J-20 fighter jet. Because, like sex, the mood changes quickly. I’m in the mood for this or that, then in another mood. Suggested videos basically keeps up with me even if most people can’t or don’t want to. It rolls with my mood. And it’s been said that 75% of viewing time on Youtube is suggested videos, so I guess others are like me after all.

It feels right. I know they are tracking me. But when they serve up that series of Japanese bubble era commercials, just when I’m in the mood, nothing else will do. Those corny stewardess type uniforms Japanese girls used to wear in the 80’s, the cute singing, the mini skirts, the smiles, the hilarious humor, it all hits me. Just when I’m in the mood. Suggested videos are AI at work in our lives and we don’t even realize it. If you like this, you might like 1, 2 and 3! lol I speak Japanese and lived in Japan during the bubble so this very eclectic video, of a forgotten time and energy might only appeal to me but man. It brings back insanely strong memories. Floods my mind with people and experiences. And I wouldn’t have known about it if it weren’t for YouTube’s suggested videos.

This is the future. Things we want, when we want it, even though we had no idea we wanted it!

Of course, YouTube created new stars, had great technology (with Flash and now with HTML5) but the real reason is they gave us what we wanted. Didn’t judge us. Helped us be even weirder than we were before. And was a good laugh. Certainly a far cry from “unfortunately this video is not available in your region“.

In closing, I have to say that I don’t think main stream media gets it yet. They aren’t ready to give consumers what they want. Aren’t willing to look for new revenue sources. (Hello MLB, if you offer your stuff in China, people are going to watch it. Views will skyrocket. Sales will skyrocket. Chinese will fly all over the world to see the games. And buy tons of t-shirts. But I guess you are happy doing backdoor deals to people willing to pay for a license. Of course, the content will be poorly distributed. Too expensive. Inconvenient. And you might miss China and India. But hey, cheer up! You got your licensing fee! Congratulations.

YouTube Takes Your Serious Side Seriously

Enough writing and watching ketchup videos, I’m in another mood now. Let’s make some money mood! And I’m just about to watch a YouTube video about “How to Sell Franchises Internationally” because I’m considering buying a master franchise for a US chain and selling individual franchises here in Thailand. YouTube is not only my entertainer, it’s also my teacher which is something mainstream media hasn’t done for a long time. Catch you later. If you enjoyed this please share and check out my video channel where I try to make sense of this world. Thanks for reading!

Is your New Years resolution to get in shape? But you don't want to the gym everyday? What if you could go to the gym once a week and get in great shape even after 50 years old? I'll be 52 this month and have a slew of bad habits including:
1. Going out late at night
2. Drinking too many calorie laden drinks before bed
3. Traveling a lot so I don't always have a regular gym or even a membership at any gym
4. Being imperfect in general. lol

And I only go to the gym once a week. That's it. Nothing else. If you would like to get in shape, try my workout. You don't need any special expensive food. Special machines. It's simple and effective.
You will be sore. It will be hard. But if you want it, it's here. And won't take hardly any time out of your schedule. Enter your name and email to get started! Let's make 2017 the year you finally figure out the body part of your life!

When you start working out heavy, your mind will tell you all kind of crazy stuff: That you aren’t good enough: That it won’t work for you: That it’s easier for everyone else: That you need to cheat and take steroids.

These demons need to be overcome as they arise in order to keep your motivation high and achieve the type of strength, muscle growth and youth that you want. In this video I talk about how the people I train and how I have dealt with these very personal demons that threaten to undo the progress we’re making in building the body and youth we want.

The good thing is that you are not alone. We all, and I do mean all of us, have doubts that stop us from succeeding. For myself, whenever I am injured or break a leg snowboarding, I often go into self pity and my demons arise. They tell me ‘I’m too old’ ‘my best days are behind me’ ‘it’s not worth the effort because I’m having no progress’ and so on.

Of course, these statements are not true but late at night when I’m feeling bloated after a big meal or one too many they go though my head. Other times, it’s while I am actually lifting weights and it stops me from going to max. ‘you don’t feel good today’ ‘you might get injured’ ‘I’ll go light today and heavy next week’ and so on.

As the years have passed these thoughts arise less often and without the intensity they used to but they still come. In this video, I go over many types of demons and inner doubt and how I and my students dealt with it. And how to overcome the things that hold you back from success

For a couple of reasons I get annoyed by people who say they don’t read news because it infects their mind with mind memes. One, because they are usually lying. The do read news but try not to. So they are fighting a secret battle they would rather not disclose. And that battle leads to all sorts of inner conflicts and BS that you don’t need. It’s like someone trying to quit eating cupcakes. Don’t follow their example.

Next, the type of people who actually don’t read news because it is ‘information overload’. They are true to their word. They actually don’t read news and shut out friends who talk up current news. The problems from avoiding modern life are many and varied. If you really want this, go build a cabin in the woods. There is nothing wrong with living off the land. But of course, they try to live in the world but not in the world. Again, hopelessly going back and forth in an inner struggle.

Of course, they are hopelessly out of date with technology. In an age of information, this has huge implications on their career prospects. And ability to create new things. They are less able to ‘stand on the shoulder of giants” and gain from other thinkers and creators.

But at the same time, I hate seeing people become victims of media control. They will remain nameless but I know a person very well you is literally a zombie once they get home. They are glued to a news channel and make them angry. Every day they have a new reason to hate people. Their blood pressure is through the roof and they drive friends away. And they missed the latest bitcoin rise. lol Why? Their pet news channel said it was a scam.

We need new information. We need new ideas but we also need a way to process those ideas ourselves so we not only understand, incorporate them into our lives but also use them as building blocks to unique synergistic ideas.

My method for inputting the best ideas while avoiding the pitfalls entails a few things (below)

1. Youtube is better than real life. 1.5 speed youtube videos. whether you want to know which hackintosh build is best or if US and China are going to war, YT is the place to study. Up to date. Instantaneous. Speedupable. (simply click on settings in the bottom right corner of a YouTube video on your Mac or PC and choose, speed) Easily changeable so if the guy isn’t as good as you thought, close the window. You can’t change speakers nearly as easy even at a high end (which is what it will be for the type of stuff you want to study to improve yourself) event. Seating, timing of speeches. etc

2. Walk and audiobook. You are the amalgamation of the 5 friends you hang out with. The same goes with input information. Audiobooks offer some of the best bang for your buck. Podcasts are good and can be great but lets face it, the preparation, research and editing that goes into an audiobook increases the quality. It takes one hour to make a one hour podcast but one year or more to make an audiobook. You benefit from this concentration of good, verified information. The one negative is the info is slower and can be out of date.

You beat this by getting the best possible up to date recommendations of books to read from people you trust on this issue. So if a book is blowing your mind and he recommends another book, it’s all good. One book leads to more books. Just take notes on Simplenote.”books to download” Then download before you forget.

3. The people factor. Talk about the ideas your read. Try to explain them to your friends. See their reaction. Learn what you missed. Example of the negotiation and lawyer in Shimoda trip. I never listened to that guy again even though I loved him before. My friend steered me right.

4. Google News: For keeping up to date with changes in your world without being victim of media agenda. AI It learns what you like. As you read more and more good stuff, it serves up more of the same. GN every morning. I read tech, innovation, geopolitics, sports. GN is the best way to get updated without being a victim of mind memes. And don’t diss being up to date. It’s key.

Research has shown that we learn better when blood flows better. So walk while you listen to audiobooks and listen to YouTube videos. For YT, walking on a track or beach with no bicycles, cars and trucks is recommended. For audiobooks, walk wherever you can. You will learn better and incorporate the ideas into your life easier if you feel good. Walking accomplishes that. While you lose weight and get in shape.

Walking while phoning friends for #3 is a great idea. After you digest a fantastic new idea from an audiobook or video, call a friend. Explain, discuss and learn all while walking. I often walk 3-4 hours or more in the evenings. I feel great and learn a ton.

Freed from the usual distractions of the house, learning while walking paradoxically increases my focus on the ideas rather than decreasing it. So seeing things pass by, trees, people leads to a meditative state while walking while instant messaging, phone calls, things around the house make it more difficult to focus. In fact, they are almost designed to get your attention. Out in the wild, you can wander anonymously save the rare time you run into someone you know who greets you. Other than that, it smooth sailing and you can walk, focus and learn all while meditating. I know it sounds like a stretch but give it a try.

Thanks for reading! If these ideas were helpful, please click share on the Facebook or your preferred social network below! Thank you and very much appreciated. Looking forward to hearing your feedback and ideas about how you accomplish this important task in your life

China has setup such a brutal maze for foreign companies in the domestic market. From forced partnerships, to forced technology transfer (hear the sucking sound of US avionic technology going to COMAC?) to not allowing insurance companies to get the licenses they need to be legal in China. It’s an endless maze where foreign insurance companies need to ‘partner’ with license holders to be legal or to cover larger areas of China.

On the other end, education teaches China’s youth that foreign nations have humiliated China endlessly. TV propaganda endlessly enforcing building on traditional themes (updating as things arise) motivates individual citizens to steal technology much like ISIS propaganda motivates lone wolf attacks. So it starts from the Central gov to local gov, to local hoodlums demanding foreign companies compensate for noise etc (privately ask anyone with a brick and mortar biz in China about this).

It finally ends up as a free for all and individual people feel justified and sometimes compensated (in the case of scientists stealing seed or bio technology from universities abroad) in the form of ‘if you bring valuable stolen technology back to China you will be setup for life. A modern lab. Access to university research facilities, endless cheap loans and so on. So the propaganda is backed by bribes that reward theft of foreign technology.

It’s such a crushingly successful system that foreign companies, even with the largest lead in technology and patents eventually fall to local Chinese competitors such that the US has very little to lose by playing hardball and much to gain.

So, what Im saying is the it’s too successful and that in itself it it’s weakness. And it will come to bite them in the backside. All the hollering aside, the US has almost nothing to lose by playing serious hardball with China. Now is the opportunity to change the game.

I’m very pro China in many ways but this simply is unbalanced and cannot continue. I’m sure China will rebalance and recover in a more sustainable way when this is all over but it’s time to reevaluate everything very carefully (listening intently in private to business owners who have operations inside China) and take swift, action that has a clear goal and is not vindictive.

The goal is win-win trade and a balance in the era of a rising China. The goal is not to hurt or stop China. That is important. But much has been left unsaid and it needs to be drawn out; if even in private) All the dirty tricks, underhanded tactics that have been deployed. It’s time to face up to the hacking and massive theft that has been called the ‘greatest transfer of wealth in history’.

Until now foreign companies and even the US military has been very deceitful about how bad they have been hacked. Everyone is afraid to tell how bad it was. The reasons include possible lawsuits in the case of private data. Fear of being seen as having poor security (lapse of judgement) or in the case of the US military the massive lack of ability to protect secrets which will haunt them for the next 100 years as China builds on the research and technology developed by DARPA and others. We need to put it all out there and come up with a realistic strategy whose goal is future growth and prosperity for all nations.

Paul’s PUMP! Once a week, to max, for life workout

Basic beliefs: Don’t keep track of exact weights or at least you don’t have to. Generally remember how much. Each day is different. And life it’s logical. Sometimes you will do a heavy set and think you’re done and then be able to throw an extra 30 kilos and nail another set. Gains are not incremental. So play around. And don’t think too logically. Always try to surprise yourself.

What is the workout?
1. Very little warm up (10 deadlifts with the bar only)
2. Need straps for deadlift once you get stronger. Try not to use them until absolutely necessary. For me, after I passed 270, I usually need straps but it greatly depends on the type of bar. slippery or not slippery. Fat or skinny. Rough or fake rough.
3. Watch me and others style but don’t mimic exactly. Feel your body. Focus on form what feels good to you. Move your ass around. Wiggle feet. Keep tweaking till it feels right. It will get easier to find your optimal form.
4. Don’t expect anything. Some days you are just stronger than others. I always try very heavy. See how it goes. Once I get the bar off the machine, I try to do 6. Aim for sets of 6 or at most 8. If you can only do 2 or 3, lower the weight a bit. If you get to 4, kill yourself to get the last two out.
5. I don’t use sleeves unless it’s some kind of weird bar that is insanely slippery. You need to learn to balance the weight. Focus on balance from the beginning. Build your whole body up at once. That means both sides of body and both arms.
6. I usually do 5-6 sets of deadlifts but I used to do it in one set. Theoretically, one set, Mike Metzger Heavy Duty style is enough. However, I have found that one set truly going to max is almost impossible to do. The weight will always be too much, too little or you simply won’t be able to go to max on that one set.

I use a lot of tricks to get myself to go to max. Nothing works every time but if I imagine my mom about to get crushed by a car, I man up and finish it. Some people imagine their dog being crushed or son under a car. Or some guy is trying to rape you in prison. Whatever it takes so you temporarily become superhuman.

Think of something that pisses you off and fires you up. Where you absolutely have to get it done. I have a few reliable ones I use and they help a lot. You need to somehow trick yourself into going to max.

The next question is ‘how many sets?’ My answer, ‘it go until you past safety. Where you feel like you might have an aneurysm. Where you think, ‘this cannot be healthy’. Where you look like the craziest guy in the gym.

Remember that you only need to do it once for each exercise. You can’t do it twice anyway. Can Usain Bolt run his fastest twice in a row? Not possible. Once you’ve done it. Once you’ve maxed it out, you will know. Or over time you will learn to recognize max. It’s that point where if you kept going on another set, you could, but there is nothing left.

Your muscles are burnt. Caution: sometimes I feel like that with one set and rest for 4 minutes and have more to give. So if you are not absolutely sure you are maxed for the day on that exercise, rest and try again. But don’t fuck around. You want to get to max and move to the next exercise and get out of the gym. The reason being that you can only go to max a short period. After that it’s just a waste of your day. Max the fuck out and get out of there. It’s bad karma to stay in gym. Get er done and get to eating.

Ok, but you’re not done yet. You’re just done with one exercise. Now you’re doing squats. With squats you need to practice and get your balance if you’re new at this. Also you want that form that feels great. It takes experimentation to find that form for you.

For me, I destroyed my knee playing football in Shanghai so I can’t do deep squats anymore. I go as far as I can and no more. If I go any deeper, my knee swells up and I can’t walk much for a week. Lots of ice and rest. As long as I toe the line, I’m fine. So this workout works whether you are injured or not. Rich or not. Athletic or not. This is a lifelong workout.

You can do this same workout with small adjustments for the rest of your life so take your time, concentrate and get it right. It will pay off greatly long term.

So back to squats. How heavy should you go? For men and women the answer is the same; heavy. Women’s legs are just as strong as mens, pound per pound. So don’t be afraid to put on some big plates with that little Japanese girl. She is stronger than she thinks. Especially her legs. And strong legs are sexy.

The motivation you need for legs is two things. One, as I said, it’s sexy. Two, look at unhealthy old men. Why are they so fucked? Their legs. If your legs are bad, you’re unhealthy. It’s that simply. And that important. So they two exercises so far are the big ones.

Deadlift for back and to connect your upper and lower body and squats for mobility. If you’re not mobile, life sucks. And squats will make you very strong. Strong in sports, strong at work and strong in the unhappy event that you are involved in an altercation or are robbed.

Legs are the key. You know when you watch boxing and they say, ‘he lost his legs’. That’s right before he gets knocked out. In his face. So your legs protect your face in a way. Strong legs make you a powerful man and confident woman. You will feel it as you build your legs. Your confidence will rise. Your balance will improve. People will avoid angering you. They instinctively know you would be trouble.

So back to squats. I’ve found that getting under the bar and, again, wiggling my ass, shifting my feet, moving my shoulders around like an idiot helps. I soon find a comfortable position.

You want to bar to be behind the top of your shoulders kind of. Resting ever so slightly below that lump on your spinal column about shoulder level. There is nothing to really rest it on so it will feel weird in the beginning. I find the bar is almost stuck between my hands and my back muscles. It’s not resting on the lump of spine. Keep a good hold on it and eventually your get the feeling.

Once you have the position, go for it. I like to go quite heavy on squats because I know my legs are much stronger than I think. Contrary to how I feel, I have never collapsed under the weight even though I often feel like I will.

On squats go as low as you can go comfortably and back up. Don’t rest at the top. As soon as you hit the full extension (meaning standing up completely), start to go back down. Feel the form from the beginning. Don’t let yourself relax and let the weight down in an out of control manner. Let it crush you on the way down. Like all of heaven is pushing you into the floor. Like the moon is coming down on your back.

Remember to breathe. On squats it’s easy to remember. Breathe in on the way down (the easy way) and breathe out on the hard way (the way up) Don’t worry about making weird noises or spitting. Try not to but when you’re going to max on squats, almost anything can happen.

I try to be nice in the gym. I put weights back. I wait my turn. But when I’m lifting to max, I don’t give a fuck. If I somehow spit on the mirror or it sounds like I’m cuming or having a heart attack, I don’t worry about that. I’ve got other things on my mind. Like 374 pounds of steel that could cripple me if I fell the wrong way. So ignore everything. Ignore if your pants fall down or willy falls out of your shorts. Just finished the goddamn set.

In order to go to max on squats, I try to put more weight on the back of my legs for most sets and then the front for the last one or two. I like to use the smith machine for squats because I’m going so hard that I’m never sure what will happen. And I don’t have time to get a spotter or workout buddy. I do it alone.

I go alone. I push myself alone. I look at the other guys as fat guys at Starbucks when I’m in the gym. Usually they are wasting time anyway. No one is going to max. So I can’t get inspiration from them. And I can’t copy them. Sometimes they cheer me or on give me advice, “dude you’re gonna have a heart attack if you workout that hard!” BS like that I hear all the time. Ignore it.

I try to throw in some calf raises at the end of my last couple sets of squats. My calfs are very strong naturally so I don’t have to do much for them. If you have skinny legs, you might want to add calf raises to each rep.

With all exercises, I do supersets on the way down. So I do a set, take off 10 pounds: Take a couple minute break and go again. Squats are funny. It’s not easy to go to max on squats for some reason. If it’s not max at least you need to go until you can hardly stand up and feel like vomiting.

If you feel like you might hurl when doing squats, you’re doing it right. Remember what Arnold Schwarzenegger said, “If you don’t vomit during a workout, it wasn’t a good workout”. This is my mantra. I have never actually vomited but have choked up stuff before and crawled across the gym because my legs would not hold me. I have even been so shaken up that I could not crawl. So slithered over to a bench, slithered up the bench and sat down. That’s fine. In fact, that’s awesome!

Pat yourself on the back when you do this. You are doing it right. You will have success when so many others never have any gains at all or even continue the miserable road to obesity that they are on. You are not like that. But you are doing it right. Realistically.

Remember Usain Bolt. Sprint your heart out. Then take a victory lap and selfie with some cutie. Even if just in your mind. Pat yourself on the back. You da man. OR contact me. I’ll tell you. Getting in high school football shape at 50- years old, you’re in the 1% of humans on this planet.

After your maxed it out and slithered to a seat a few times, you’ll feel it. It’s over. Your done. Again pat yourself on the back. After the deadlift and squat, you’ve done the hardest and most important exercises.

Next hammer the pull down. I like a grip just past the curves on the bar. No on the very edges. But whatever works for you. Pull it down. Go heavy. You should be writhing like a mutherfudger because even though the muscles are small on your back, they hurt the most (along with your forearm) Anyway, do sets until your muscles are toast.

Again, remember to breathe. Don’t hold your breathe! When you back is on fire like you had road rash with a tshirt and flip flops off a bike a 100 mph, do one more thing. Grab the bar close grip, facing toward you and do two heavy sets. Feel your muscles. Pull down fast and go up slowly.

The deadlift and squats are for health and body strength. The pulldown is for wings. Girls like wings. The make you look good. Don’t forget the wings. Feel them bulging out. Like a triangle of a body.

When you’re done, go to dips. I like to do about 30-35 dips in one set to get started. Slow or fast, doesn’t matter. Don’t focus on the feeling of burn. Focus on not swinging around. Clean with all your body balancing on the very back of your arms. Your triceps.

Remember that your arm is 2/3 tricep and 1/3 bicep. So if you want nice arms. Burn them to the ground. After you are too tired to do dips, switch to dips on the back of a bench. This is easier and a nice way to finish. Keep hands close together but don’t forget form. It’s easy to get wild after all that hard workout. If you lose control on dips, you can be injured. So keep your wits about you. You’re almost done…for the week!

Next, curls. I like to pick to dumbells and touch them together in a V shape. Just gently touch them together. I find this position easy on my wrists. Feel your biceps burning. Do 3 quick sets to max. Burn the living fxxk out of your biceps. It helps to look in the mirror on all exercises but especially on curls. Curls look good so you will go harder when you see yourself looking cool in the mirror. Have no shame. Do whatever you need to go to motivate yourself. And recall, you’re almost done.

Last, forearm curls. These hurt for some reason. Even though they’re a tiny muscle. So expect pain on the last reps. But you won’t feel that they are all that heavy but just that your forearms are on fire and you feel like someone injected molten lava into them during the set. To push to max, go as hard as you can, pause, keeping position, and do two more. Then pause again, and do two more. Your face should look 30 years older than you usually do. Sweat should be poring off your face on this one. You will wonder how this could possibly hurt this bad but before you know it, you’re done.

Now, eat that banana your brought, take a shower and get some food in your ASAP. I recommend some low quality carbs as they turn to sugar the fastest. You need to feed your muscles. So white bread, spaghetti, noodles, white rice. I eat 4 eggs or 2-3 chicken breasts if I went really hard. Veggies, carbs, and solid protein. I have heard and believe that a cup or two of coffee takes away much of the muscle soreness the next day. It won’t help you get bigger muscles or heal faster but you’ll feel better. And that’s no joke. Cause you’re gonna be sore as shit. And not just tomorrow. Every week for the rest of your life.

It doesn’t get easier because you’re going to max. So as you get stronger, max is more. But you will get used to it. And it will become natural to be an animal in the gym. When you enter the gym, there is only one thing you will do. This workout to max and get out. That’s it. No other choices. No need to make friends. I’m a very friendly person but in the gym I could give a fxxk. I’m there to workout and get out. Just like when I need to sleep. I’m going to sleep. I don’t need that call from a friend. That can wait till I’m rested. And even that friend will respect that and benefit. Cause I’m ready to go when I answer. And same with the gym. The guy is for going to max on my workout. And that’s all it is for. I almost forget that I workout every week because I go so rarely but inevitably that next Monday or whatever day you choose rolls around, you pick up a banana, and head to the gym. Once inside, you go to work.

After you finish your once a week workout, have fun. Drink beer. Relax. You have a free week to live your life. The heavy lifting will erase many bad habits that you will inevitably have. Don’t worry!

That’s it. Relax in the glory that you are actually changing your life. You will see huge gains fast. And when you feel your body, you’ll know.

I remember the first time I heard the name Samsung. It was 1984 and I was selling audio and video at Leo’s Stereo in Southern California. Samsung was the name of our dirt cheap entry level VCR: $199.

The quality was so bad that the front panel would bend when I tried programming it for a customer. We tried not to sell them but when we failed and sold one, they would usually come right back. Broken.

That’s when we broke into our “I told you so” mode. See! Korean stuff is junk. So is American. You need a Japanese VCR! Like this fully loaded 4 head with wireless remote and…. slow motion!

Yep. That was my job through university. Selling audio and video. On commission. And it was hilarious. That job taught me everything I needed to work in the real world. Of course we had a Columbian drug dealer there. A couple of alcoholics. Me included.

Samsung stunk to high heaven. But that was a long time ago. And times have changed. Today Samsung makes fine products. Until they don’t. As is the case with the Galaxy Note 7.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s pretty. It’s a very nice looking phone. But it has one small problem. It blows up and catches on fire. And burns your house down. So there are negatives to it. But besides that it’s amazing.

Unfortunately, Samsung’s management seems to not get the seriousness of the ‘burning your house down part’. We can see this by looking at their pathetic recall. It’s patently obvious that Samsung’s management simply doesn’t want to face the facts of it’s disaster of a phone. Every step of the recall has had to be forced by uproar from consumers. It was obvious from the beginning that Note 7’s should have been recalled worldwide and Samsung should have launched a major goodwill PR campaign to mend fences with consumers. But no…

It reminds me of when Korean Air Lines used to have a nasty habit of flying into mountains. Suffice it to say that it’s not good for consumer confidence.

Samsung recalled outside China. Then recalled inside China (after Chinese consumers went mad: for good reason) And then Samsung replaced the exploding phones (none too quickly I might add). But there is a problem. The replacement phones exploded.

So Samsung is really up to their old 80’s VCR tricks. The problem is that it isn’t the 80’s, they cost as much as iPhone’s and the internet has been invented. On top of that, they endanger human life. Even the post office is scared to death of them and forced Samsung to send out reinforced, fireproof coffins so that if start burning in the mail, they won’t burn down the post office or airplane.

Samsung: What we’ve got here is failure to communicate

As Boss said in my favorite movie, Cool Hand Luke, “What we’ve got here is failure to communicate”. But don’t fret. Samsung is gonna pay. Unlike Paul Newman’s indomitable spirit, they are gonna break. The consumers of the world will take care of it.

Many say the cause is Samsung’s insistence of squeezing every last feature into their phones. Bloatware. But, honestly, the causes don’t really matter to consumers anymore. What matters is that a company that they trusted, they no longer do.

It doesn’t help that there are now reports of, I’m not kidding, “exploding Samsung washing machines”. Can things can’t get any worse?

The latest is a recent Forbes article talking about exploding Galaxy S7 Edge’s. What isn’t exploding at Samsung? That should be the next press release.

Attention: It’s come to our attention that the Galaxy S6 is not catching on fire or exploding like Russia’s new missile the Satan II.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Explodes And Sets Jeep On Fire

An honest report like that might solve some trust issues. But have you heard anything from Samsung? Has the president thrown himself to the floor like Japanese presidents do every time they misspell “election” with an “r”? No.

I went by the Samsung shop to look for something out of the ordinary like a video of the president jumping out of a window but I couldn’t find anything. It all looked normal. No special notes. No video’s. No big signs. ‘Sorry for burning your house down’ might have been nice. Or ‘please take your Galaxy 7 coffin so you don’t get sued by the post office”.

Everything was hunky dory at Samsung. Except for one problem: No one was there.